Cover Your Eyes (The Devil Inside)
by FiresFromOurHearts
Summary: 1600 words of Hogwart's resident Basilisk and her only friend. A life story. You are a Basilisk. "You will be safe," the human confirms. You know how this will end.


**Title taken from Night of the Hunter by 30 Seconds to Mars**

 _For the insane house challenge; prompt: creature - basilisk_

 _I tripped and then gave myself feelings for Slytherin's basilisk._

 _Felicidade - happiness in Portuguese_

* * *

You are a Basilisk. Hatched from a chicken egg from beneath a toad. You are a hatchling first, small and tiny but still deadly. You are tiny and deadly, yet you aren't deadly at first. No, first you are kept in a dark, dark place. There is no light and there is no life. You are given a small mouse originally, you cannot tell how often. There is no time.

And then–! And then you learn of light! You hiss invitingly at the light, calling out for it, and lift your head, only to have something slam down on top of your enclosure. You are left in darkness, again. You are alone, again. Something happens outside of your cage, but you do not understand. Nothing makes sense.

A voice calls out for you, in your own language. This is the first time you have heard something that sounds like you. "Close your eyes," it asks.

"Only if you give me light," you respond. It is a weak response, and it is not worthy of you. You do not care. You allow yourself this moment of weakness. You have never seen the light before, have never felt it on your scales. You want to feel like that again.

"Very well," it answers. "Are your eyes closed?"

You shut your eyes. "Yes." You can sense the lid of your prison move, and unknown things – _hands,_ you learn later on – pick you up. You hiss in delight, feeling the heat glance down onto your scales. You have been _so_ cold. You have never felt like this, have never felt this warmth before.

There are more jumbled things, a commotion that leaves you confused, and you twist about, wanting to feel everything around you because you may not be able to see, but you want to at least feel everything. "Easy, little one," you are told, and you pause.

"What are you?" You ask, wanting answers even if you do not understand what they mean.

"Human," comes the answer.

"What am I?"

"The King of the Serpents," is the response you are given. "A Basilisk," is the explanation when it becomes obvious you don't understand.

"I don't want to be a king," you decide with a mind that is focussed on things that are now gone – on darkness and food and walls closing in. "I'll be a queen," you say, knowing the meaning of the words but not understanding what they mean.

There are more things that are said and you do not understand. Scent – fear and anger and irritation – fills the air, and you try to coil yourself. "You are not going to cage me again, are you? I don't like being locked in the darkness."

There's a shout and light flashes against the dark of your eyelids. You squirm, wanting to know what's happening but not opening your eyes. "You will be safe," the human confirms. "I will make sure of it."

* * *

You age and grow and mature. You learn the language you speak is _Parseltongue._ You learn that the human who rescued you goes by the name Salazar Slytherin and that he came with three others – Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Godric Gryffindor. You are told that you were bred by a Dark Wizard and was going to be sold on the black market along with numerous other illegal creatures. You are told that Salazar and Rowena worked for days to find the location of the Dark Wizard. You are told that Godric confronted the man while Helga took down the wards. You are told that Helga and Salazar ensured that no creatures were harmed upon their release. You are told Rowena did not care. You are told that Godric did not want such dangerous creatures to be free and able to murder other humans.

You ask, once, if that's why Salazar kept you. Salazar doesn't respond, but he smells sad and lonely. You decide that Salazar kept you because you are dangerous and there are people out there who want to catch you, chain you, hurt you. You think that Salazar was lonely and needed a friend. You think you were also lonely and needed a friend.

You are still young when they build a castle. Salazar tells you of the school, of the great walls and turrets, of the magic that is laid in every brick. You are told the school is magic and made from magic and made of magic.

Salazar tells you that they are inviting students. Salazar sounds scared and angry when he says this. He spits out words like muggles and not born of magic. He says things like fires and trials and murders and killings and massacres. You do not understand fully, but you know enough.

You, who hates to be chained and who hates to be kept in enclosed spaces and hates the darkness and loves the light, ask Salazar, late one night when his eyes are closed and your eyes are open wide and seeing. You ask if Salazar will build you a safe space deep within the castle. You tell him that you want to protect the school. You tell him you will keep the students safe from dangers that the muggles bring. You tell him that no student will be harmed by a muggle while you are alive.

It is the first time you see Salazar cry, _(it is not the last time)_.

"I will tell the others," he says, "but none will be able to enter. I will ensure that they cannot hurt you."

"They would never," you assure him. This is the truth. "You would not let them."

"No," Salazar says, agreeing, a sad smile on his face. You wish it were gone. "I wouldn't."

* * *

The next time Salazar comes, he is crying and you are in your chambers. He whispers things to you, things you cannot understand because it isn't your language. He eventually explains that he must leave and that the others don't agree. That they believe the muggles should know where their kids go to. That they should have access to their children while they are at Hogwarts. He doesn't agree with them, thinks that this will end in ruin. You agree with him. He has told you stories of muggles, and they have never been nice stories.

"I'll let you fall into a deep sleep," he explains, "You won't age properly. You will live for longer." He sounds sad when he says this, and it is because he understands loneliness – but so do you.

"I will protect the school for longer," you counter.

"Yes," he says sounding so sad and you wish you could take this emotion from him. "You will."

Before you sleep, he gives you the second-best thing you have ever been given. It is better than light, better than being taken out of a cage, better than being kept safe. It is a name.

 _"Felicidade."_

* * *

You don't wake for years and years. You don't wake for over five hundred years. You don't wake for six hundred years. You wake and you near the thousandth year since your birth. You wake to the sound of your language being hissed into your home. You wonder whether the enemy has finally invaded Hogwarts. You wonder what Salazar's orders would be now, orders created with Rowena's calculating thoughts and Godric's experience and Helga's tricks. Except, you guess, Salazar has been gone for a long, long time.

"I, heir of Slytherin, command you," someone says. You come with your eyes closed, questioning and wondering, and finally awake.

"Have the enemies finally invaded my home?" You ask, coiling yourself. You have grown and are somewhat unused to the rest of your body.

"Yes," comes the hissed answer. "Listen to me, King of the Serpents, it is time to rid our home of the _mudbloods_ who have taken over it."

You waver, wanting to listen because your home is apparently in danger, but you do not understand. "The muggles… have not invaded Hogwarts?" You ask, checking, because Salazar is the only who can order you. The child may be of Salazar's blood, but they are not Salazar. You have your orders. This is your choice. You will do Salazar's bidding, and your own, but no one else's.

"No!" Comes the shout, echoing in the stone chamber you once hated but have now come to view with apathy. "The mudbloods have, the spawn of muggles. They are pathetic. You will do as I command."

You draw yourself up and prepare yourself to open your eyes because this child is targeting the very children you are meant to replace. "I am not yours to command," you hiss.

There is a flash of light. You are afraid. Then, it no longer matters at all.

* * *

"Sleep. I will return."

* * *

"Rise from your slumber great beast. I have need of you once more."

* * *

You come back to yourself in pain. You reel back, flailing in agony because there is nothing but pain. You slam your head against the ceiling of your chambers. You recall everything now. You remember your orders. You remember the spells woven around you, chaining you, caging you, keeping you. You became a pet, docile and tame.

You managed to avoid killing, despite your hunger. You had managed. The spells have been weakened and have lost their hold on you now. You are almost at peace.

The best thing you have ever been given was a friend, was family. The best thing Salazar gave you was his confidence, his trust. Hogwarts turned on Salazar, and isn't it ironic that it turns on his last friend too?

You die, and you are thankful. Your loneliness will now be over. The chains will finally let you go. The walls will no longer keep you. No longer will you need to worry for your safety. No longer will you need to be afraid.

You are not afraid of what is coming. You know how this will end – with Salazar by your side.


End file.
